Here is the latest shameless promotion and self-aggrandizing news.
March 23—It Might Have Been, a novel-in-progress by Richard Romano, is being "workshopped" (or serialized, depending how you want to look at it) online at massmedea.wordpress.com. Set in 1999–2000, It Might Have Been is, on one level, a social satire of the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s loosely (very loosely) based on RR's own experiences working for a computer graphics magazine during that period. On another level it’s a David and Goliath story about the staff of a small computer magazine and the culture clash that ensues when they are acquired by a large, megalithic, Death Star-like publishing corporation.
The focus of the book is on the camaraderie of the almost family-like staff of the small, San Francisco-based, independent magazine called Cool Gadgets. There is a budding office romance between one of the writers and a newly hired editorial assistant; there is the high-strung editor who has anger management issues; there is the blunt, cynical product reviewer who has had enough of ultimately pointless dot-com IPOs which, he feels, are hastening the next great economic collapse. For a complicated series of reasons, the publisher sells the magazine to a large publishing company, and almost immediately morale starts to plummet as there is a wave of cost-cutting and layoffs—even at the height of the economic boom—as well as Machiavellian power plays which seem to do everything but inspire people to do their best work.
While the book is serious in tone, it’s also very funny in spots. There is a disastrous vendor meeting in which a computer literally explodes in the middle of a product demonstration; a spellchecker inadvertently changes someone’s name to a highly inappropriate but nonetheless correctly spelled noun; and there are a variety of other “tales from the trenches.”
There is a new chapter posted at every Friday at massmedea.wordpress.com. All visitors are welcome—nay, encouraged—to submit comments and feedback.
February 21—Armed with a new book chronicling the checkered history of Miami Beach, Richard Romano heads south next week to cover the 34th annual Graphics of the Americas show (and maybe get some stone crabs). A preview is over at WhatTheyThink, and at PrintCEO blog.
February 20, 2009—Our engineers have agonized over the original production files for this 2005 self-published meisterwerk to create a version that is compatible with Amazon’s Kindle electronic book reader. The e-book can be purchased here. Oh, and there are still treeware versions available for purchase over here. What is Virus! about, you may ask? Well:
What if a computer virus could be transferred from machine to man? That provocative—if not downright silly—question is the basis of Virus!, a wild science-fiction comedy in the tradition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds. But it’s just the tonic we need in this age of uncertainty.
January 15, 2009—A sporadic series of posts on Blogito Ergo Sum has been spun off into Movie Mis-Treatments, a Web site that “mis-treats” bad science-fiction movies. In essence, Movie Mis-Treatments is a movie recapping site that provides a detailed summary of the plot and characters of a given movie, albeit enhanced with comic observations, jokes, comments, and general “snark.” From the About Movie Mis-Treatments page:
What are Movie Mis-Treatments?
In filmmaking, a “treatment” is a prose summary of a movie or TV show episode. Hence, I have coined the term “mis-treatment” to refer to a comic treatment, recap, or “snark” of a movie. Essentially, they are comic summaries of bad movies which consist of the kinds of things I or friends say out loud when watching a movie or TV show, only I have written them down. In addition to summarizing plot, characters, and dialogue, I offer observations, sarcastic remarks, puns, cultural references, and other general abuse. I also avail myself of modern research techniques (i.e., a Google search) to add actual not-made-up information about a movie, actor, or filmmaker, or add a bit of context to the creation and release of a certain film.
Why are you doing this?
The short answer is that I find it fun. The long answer is that riffing on bad movies has long been a favorite pastime, dating back to my youth in mid-1970s suburban Boston, where Channel 56’s Saturday afternoon Creature Double Feature was watched each week with almost religious devotion. My discovery of the like-minded folks of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in the early 1990s renewed my enjoyment of movie “riffing.” So after all that background, a year or so ago, I was given one of those “50 Classic Science-Fiction Movies for $1” (or whatever) box sets for Christmas, and these turned out to be some of the worst movies ever made. So, I started this Mis-Treatment series as a number of blog posts as a way of getting through the box set—and it just mushroomed from there. I have now actually gone out and bought Night of the Lepus on DVD. I am not proud of this.
I do have to admit, though, that as someone who has eked out a meager living as a professional writer for the better part of the past 15 years, it is rather good exercise to describe in writing the plot, characters, and setting of a movie—in fact, I seem to recall these were actual exercises when I took screenwriting classes in college. It’s still, ultimately, about setting a scene and telling a story. Adding the jokes, comments, and “set pieces” is just the icing on the cake!
There are currently 17 titles being “mistreated,” which range from obscure grade Z movies such as The Snow Creature and The Atomic Brain to “classic” bad movies such as Night of the Lepus and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. New Mis-Treatments are added—on average—every 10–14 days or so. The site is being prelaunched this month before being given a proper launch in early February.
This year, RR's holiday card-like thing was a tongue-in-cheek PowerPoint presentation of Charles Dickens’ immortal (but now made somewhat less so) A Christmas Carol. It is available online at what is apparently the YouTube of PowerPoint, SlideShare.
November 7, 2008—Monthly free downloadable crossword puzzles available on the Monthly Crossword page.
October 28, 2008—Richard Romano, writer, graphic designer, and principal of Saratoga Springs’ Rich Text & Graphics, has just completed a collaboration with renowned commercial printing industry expert Dr. Joseph Webb on a landmark book called Renewing the Printing Industry: Strategies and Action Items for Success. Romano served as editorial director for the project, and performed all the graphic design and production.
The book is being announced this week at Graph Expo in Chicago, the printing industry’s largest annual trade show.
Commercial print businesses have been struggling for the better part of the past decade, as print is losing ground to electronic media in marketing, promotion, publishing, and other applications. In the book, veteran industry consultant Dr. Joe Webb describes in detail how printing companies can change their businesses to better serve the communications and media markets. Knowing where and how to start—and the decision points that come next—was the inspiration for Renewing the Printing Industry.
Romano was heavily involved in the organization and editorial fine-tuning of Renewing the Printing Industry. Romano then created a dozen or so original illustrations and charts, as well as the cover (inspired the book’s major theme that printers need to “start with a blank sheet of paper” to reinvent their businesses), and produced a print-ready PDF file in the most recent version of Adobe InDesign. The book is being printed on-demand via Lulu.com.
“Richard Romano works with people who have something to say but their time is limited and their own writing skills are better suited to business correspondence,” says Dr. Webb. “He has a gift: he’s able to grasp what businesspeople want to say and writes it in an accessible and conversant style that make the ideas understandable in plain language. His long experience in design and publishing technologies make his services all the more valuable. I’ve been so pleased that I find I start looking for ways to get him involved almost in almost all of my projects, even at the proposal stage.”
Romano and Webb have collaborated on various projects for the commercial printing industry since 1999. Dr. Webb is the director of the Economics and Research Center for WhatTheyThink.com, the leading news and information portal for the graphic communication industry. Romano is also a frequent contributor of stories, features, and research reports to WhatTheyThink.
October 11, 2008 — Trumbull, CT — Thorobred Toastmasters is proud to announce that club member and Saratoga Springs resident Richard Romano has won the Toastmasters International District 53 Humorous Speech Contest, which took place at the Marriott Hotel in Trumbull, CT, Saturday evening, October 11. Romano is the treasurer of the Saratoga Springs-based public speaking and leadership training group Thorobred Toastmasters. A seven-year veteran of Toastmasters, he is a past Club President and past Area F4 Governor. He is a professional writer, graphic designer, and consultant to the graphic arts industry whose business, Rich Text & Graphics (www.richtextandgraphics.com), is based in Saratoga Springs.
The Humorous Speech contest came at the end of District 53’s twice-yearly conference, an event attended by more than 200 Toastmasters members from throughout District 53, which encompasses Northeastern Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Eastern New York State, including the Capital District and Saratoga region. In addition to the Humorous Speech contest, the two-day conference also included educational sessions on communication and leadership, an evaluation contest, a talent show, and a keynote address from Jana Barnhill, President of Toastmasters International.
The road to Trumbull involved Romano winning three prior “semi-final” contests: Thorobred Club, Area F4, and Division F speech contests. Romano competed in Trumbull against five top talkers from throughout the District. His winning speech was entitled “Fly the Unfriendly Skies,” which comically described his overcoming his fear of flying using humorous word play, act outs, and no small amount of exaggeration. Andrea Isaacs and David Freedman of Colonie’s Patroon Toastmasters Club served as Contestmaster and Chief Judge, respectively. Bill Miranda of New Haven, CT’s Yale Toastmasters, and Robert Rivest of Chicopee, MA’s Pioneer Valley Toastmasters were the two runners up in the Humorous Speech contest.
“We are so very proud of Rich,” says Terrie Gifford, fellow Thorobred Toastmaster, past Club President, and past Area F4 Governor “It was his time to shine and he really deserved this win. Now I think we probably should be referring to him as ‘Richard Romano, Humorist.’”
“While I will certainly take as much credit as I can, the fact is that I never could have made it as far as I have without the support of the members of Thorobred Toastmasters,” says Romano. “All this is pretty incredible when you consider that seven years ago I couldn’t even say my name in front of more than three people without extensive jitters and becoming tongue-tied. Thorobreds in particular and Toastmasters in general is an incredibly supportive environment which has helped me immeasurably both personally and professionally.”
Toastmasters International was founded in 1924, and today is a nonprofit organization with nearly 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven and enjoyable way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills. Thorobred Toastmasters is the local Saratoga Springs club, aand meetings are free and open to the public; all are welcome to attend. Thorobred Toastmasters members hail from Saratoga Springs, Greenwich, Schaghticoke, Schuylerville, Clifton Park, and Albany. The Thorobred club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at Longfellows Inn and Restaurant, 500 Union Avenue, (9P Saratoga Lake) from 7 to 9 p.m. During the months of August and December the club meets at other locations, which may include the Saratoga Public Library or Woodlawn Commons. For more information about Thorobred Toastmasters, please call 518-956-3901. For further information on where to find a Toastmasters Club in your area, please visit District 53 Toastmasters Web site (www.district53toastmasters.org). For more information about Toastmasters International in general, please visit www.toastmasters.org.
October 3, 2008—Monthly free downloadable crossword puzzles available on the Monthly Crossword page.
For Immediate Release
September 22, 2008
Terrie Gifford
927 Stillwater Bridge Road
Schaghticoke, NY 12154
518-664-4011 home
Cell 956-3901
Thorobred Toastmasters Tout Top Talker
Saratoga Springs resident Richard Romano has won the Toastmasters International Division F Humorous Speech Contest and will proceed to the October 11th District 53 Fall Conference in Trumbull, CT. Romano has been a Toastmaster for seven years with the Thorobred Toastmasters club in Saratoga and currently serves as Treasurer. He is also a past club President qnd a former F4 Governor. In addition to the Thorobred club, Romano also belongs to the Capital Advanced Toastmasters of Clifton Park.
His winning speech, “Fly the Unfriendly Skies,” soared through the Club, Area and Division level contests. Romano will compete in October with the winners from clubs which encompass western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and eastern New York State.
Saratoga Thorobred Toastmasters is a public speaking group whose members are from Saratoga, Greenwich, Schaghticoke, Schuylerville, Ballston Spa, Gansevoort, Clifton Park and Albany. Thorobreds meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month at Longfellow’s Inn and Restaurant (9P, Saratoga Lake) from 7 to 9 P.M. Meetings are open to anyone interested in practicing public speaking in a supportive environment. For further information, please call 664-4011. All are welcome and the public is invited to attend. To locate another Toastmasters club, please visit the District 53 Toastmasters home page and click on “Find a Club.”
September 3, 2008—As RR strives to hone his cruciverbalistic skills, at the beginning of each month he will be posting a free downloadable crossword puzzle. Click here to go to the Monthly Crossword page.
August 25, 2008—Richard Romano will once again throw his hat in the ring and compete in the Toastmasters Area F4 speech contest, to be held Monday, September 8, at Woodlawn Commons in Saratoga Springs, NY. Romano’s humorous speech, “The Unfriendly Skies,” was a runner-up at the Thorobred Toastmasters club contest, held August 25.
Area F4 comprises four Toastmasters clubs in Saratoga and Washington counties. Each club is allowed to send their club’s winner and a runner-up to the Area contest.
August 13, 2008—Richard Romano ventures to Milwaukee to the Creative Transitions Conference to present a keynote presentation entitled “The Future of Print Design:
Goodbye, Madison Avenue?” He will also participate in a keynote panel discussion moderated by Bill Finn of Finn Digital.
June 1, 2008—Richard Romano's special report for WhatTheyThink, Printing Goes Green: A WhatTheyThink Primer on Environmental Sustainability in the Commercial Printing Industry, is now available at the WTT eStore. The report provides an overview of the state of so-called “green printing” initiatives in the U.S. commercial printing industry. The report examines a variety of steps commercial printers can take toward becoming environmentally sustainable and responsible, and also offers conclusions and recommendations to companies industrywide interested in pursuing green initiatives, as well as resources with which to obtain additional information. More information can be found via the PrintCEO blog post “Green Thoughts.”
May 21, 2008—Richard Romano ventures to Boston this week to the HOW Design Conference to present a session entitled "Designing Across Media Channels."
The How Design Conference will be held May 18 to 21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. What is it, you may ask? Well:
This year the annual creativity, business and technology conference will feature even more essential information and inspiration for graphic designers, including:
* 60+ sessions on proving design's RPO, making the most of your design software, jumpstarting your creativity (even under pressure), going green and more
* pre-Conference workshops on pre-fab type, digital photography, working with different types of communicators and more, plus in-depth explorations of InDesign, Photoshop and Dreamweaver
* an entire track devoted to the latest software, hardware and graphic design tools
* The Design Resource Center—the most comprehensive collection of design resources under one roof, from paper and stock photography to software, printing and packaging.
You can learn more and register at http://www.howconference.com.
April 13, 2008—Over at WhatTheyThink, Richard Romano speaks with Fujifilm’s Lane Palmer about the challenges facing the newspaper industry.
read more>
April 12–16, 2008—Richard Romano will be attending the NEXPO, the newspaper industry’s annual conference. Look for coverage of the show at WhatTheyThink.
March 27, 2008—Richard Romano, a seven-year veteran of Saratoga Springs, NY’s Toastmasters International Club, Thorobred Toastmasters, came in second place in Area F4'sTall Tale Contest.
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March 11, 2008—Twelve Saratoga County teens graduated from the Toastmasters International-sponsored Youth Leadership Program.
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Version 1.0 continues his trek around the world. Live vicariously through him with the handy Frank Locator.
February 27–29—Richard Romano got his pastel wardrobe and Carl Hiaasen novels out of storage and ventured south to Miami Beach to cover Graphics of the Americas.
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February 22, 2008—Over at WhatTheyThink, Richard Romano previews the Brand Security Conference at next week’s Graphics of the Americas show.
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February 19, 2008—Individuals in the New York State Capital District who wish to hone their abilities as professional public speakers are welcome to join a new Advanced Toastmasters Club that meets each month in Clifton Park.
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Version 1.0 is on the Queen Victoria, on a six-month world cruise. Track his location with this handy Frank Locator.
February 18, 2008—Rich Text & Graphics announces the relaunch of www.richtextandgraphics.com, the first major redesign of the site since 2005.
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February 11, 2008—Richard Romano, a seven-year veteran of Saratoga Springs, NY’s Toastmasters International Club, Thorobred Toastmasters, came in first place in the Club’s Tall Tale Contest.
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February 6, 2008—Richard Romano interviews Printing Association of Florida president George Ryan, and provides a preview of the 33rd Annual GoA show, to be held February 27–March 1 in Miami Beach.
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January 8, 2008—Richard Romano has been tapped to serve as Coordinator for the Youth Leadership Program, a Toastmasters International program that aims to help local high school students develop the communication and leadership skills that will help them in college and beyond.
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At the PrintCEO Blog: All about e-books
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At Blogito Ergo Sum: Santa Fe travelog
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At Movie Mis-Treatments: Rocky Jones and the Scooby Gang are back in Crash of Moons
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Follow RR over at Twitter
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